Chapter Two: A stranger

Willow

“Hey! Knock it off you two!” I pushed harder, but they both grew stronger than me. Back then, I could easily keep the two young boys apart, now they were too strong. Owen and Rune were always at each other’s throats and I was always there to step between them. It’s shocking that they both didn’t kill each other after I left.

This is really not good.

“When I am Alpha, you’ll never be able to touch her again,” Owen’s nails grew longer and sharper as they dug into the bar. “She’ll be under my claim and my protection.”

That made me stop pushing them away. “Wait.. what?”

They ignored my shocked exclamation. “Not likely. I will beat you, like I always do and like I always will.” Rune was no longer angry, he was calm and collected. He turned to me and smirked. “And when I am Alpha, she will be under my claim.”

I turned to Rune. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He smiled and it looked almost genuine. If I didn’t know any better I would say there was warmth in his eyes. But I do know better. Rune grabbed my wrist in his large palm and took it off his chest. He brought it down on the bar and let it rest there. I yanked my hand out of his grasp angrily and he grinned. If there was ever a trace of warmth it was replaced by his usual confidence “Don’t worry about it Willie.” He hopped off the barstool and stood in front of me. “Hey, I really am sorry about Papa. He was a good man and an even better wolf.”

With that, he turned on his heels and walked back into the bar’s crowd and disappeared in a group of men.

I sat at the bar for about an hour. Artie chatted with Owen and I and insisted that I have one of his famous burgers on the house. I told him I couldn’t possibly take charity and that I wanted to pay, but he simply wouldn’t let me. The burger was just how I remembered it and I thanked him profusely. I was so worried about coming home but the aura Owen and Artie were giving of was nothing but comforting and sincere. It was getting late and all I wanted to do was just sleep. Tomorrow I had to face the lawyer and get all Papa’s affairs in order including the funeral arrangements. Just thinking about that made me want to curl up and cry but I needed to be strong.

“I think I’m gonna go,” I said, jumping off my barstool and grabbed the luggage that was under my seat.

“Okay. Let’s go then.” He put a twenty dollar bill on the counter after thanking Artie and turned to me. “Let me carry that.”

“Wait. You’re not coming with me.”

“Of course I am. We need to catch up and I’m not leaving you alone, Willie.” Owen glanced around him as if scanning for any potential threats. He held out his hand for my luggage and I hesitated. “You’re coming with me. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Oh, how noble.” I rolled my eyes playfully. It was clear that he truly wasn’t going to let me refuse. I caved and handed him my luggage. The smile he gave me sent my heart racing. After all these years he still made me breathless. My best friend was no longer a scrawny young boy, he was a man. He walked me out of the bar and unlocked his pickup truck. He opened the passenger-side door and I climbed in. He closed it behind me, placed my luggage in the back, and slid into the driver’s seat. He turned the key into the ignition and the car roared to life. I turned to him and smiled. “Hey, thanks Owen. Truly.”

He grinned and winked. “No problem, Willie.”

We spent the rest of the ride taking part in little intervals of small talk and then awkward silence. He asked me about my editing job in New York and I asked him about his construction business with his father. After I left he completely took over the business and has been running it ever since. Apparently, it’s very successful. “So. When are you going back to New York?”

I frowned. Was he so eager to get rid of me? And here I thought our conversation was going well. I thought he truly missed me and that he was glad to catch up. Owen must’ve seen the look on my face because he shook his head. “Not that I want you to leave but... if you have a boyfriend back in the city...” he trailed off and I smirked.

“Are you jealous, Owen Peterson?” I raised a brow. “It seems like you are.”

“Of course I am. Do you have a boyfriend?” His grip on the steering wheel tightened and his knuckles turned white.

I paused, eyes wide. He was jealous? Did that mean he felt the same way? “No. I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Cool.”

I didn’t respond simply because I didn’t know how to. I had the biggest crush on my best friend as a kid and now that I’ve returned to Blackwater, all those feelings came rushing back to me. I forgot about how much I loved Owen. I loved his brown eyes and his lopsided smile and how he protected me even though he wasn’t the largest, and most importantly I loved his kindness. He always stuck up for me and comforted me when I was upset. I never thought he felt the same, but maybe I thought wrong. Maybe his feelings explained his protective behavior.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when the truck stopped. I looked upon my childhood home and broke down again. The once tidy lawn was overgrown and littered with weeds and the once neatly painted white picket fence was cracked and peeling. The porch that I used to play on was rotting and the stairs were lopsided. Papa only passed away yesterday, but it looked like it hadn’t been lived in in years. “What happened?”

Owen placed his hands on my shoulders and lead me inside. “He wasn’t the same after you left. He wasn’t as motivated.”

Oh my god. It was my fault. He was so heartbroken when I left for college and never came back that he neglected the house that was once the talk of the town. Papa inherited the two bedroom two bath home from his father and he took great pride in it. I remember one day Owen and I were scolded for an hour for nearly cracking the porch stairs when we were racing. He was so angry. I looked upon that day as a fond memory now. Papa was always strict, but he was the closest I came to having a father.

I sat down at the table and ran my fingers over the scratched wooden surface. I remembered one day Papa had to suction cup my glass to the table because I kept spilling it. I laughed quietly to myself and felt more tears prick the corners of my eyes.

I rested my head in my hands and sobbed.